chinese philosophy

[clay dube]

Let's use this forum to discuss early Chinese thought, perhaps including ideas on how it fits with the Chinese present (or perhaps even our own present).

We will only able to briefly review several important points for each of the four philosophies. Through the primary source documents in the red curriculum guide (you'll get this Friday), those contained in the Ebrey Chinese Civilization reader, and (if you are so inclined) in the EWP East Asia textbook, you’ll be able to gain a sense of the richness of these teachings and how they are intertwined, how their advocates sought to address the problems they identified and realize, in some cases, shared aims.

If we had more time to cover the schools and for the debate itself, I’d have an elaborate debate format, with each group making presentations on several themes, each would also have a hatchet-man/woman whose responsibility would be to attack the perceived flaws in others groups’ thinking. We don’t have enough time to prepare and coordinate in this way, so we have to take a more informal approach. Please look at the following preamble and focus questions as you get ready for our debate on Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Encounter: A Hundred Schools of Thought Contend

In capitals throughout the region rulers are consulting their advisors. It is a time of crisis, governments are crippled by corruption and war/war preparation is never-ending. States join schemes against other states and powerful families plot with others to improve their own positions. Little concern is shown common people. The elite tends to see them as a resource to be managed and marshalled in struggle against one's enemies. Commoners can only resist by running away. And they are doing this in great numbers, fleeing greedy lords and officials and brutal armies.

What has led to this danger? Technology has advanced so much. Agriculture has never been so productive. Our cities are sites of terrific trade (aided by new means of exchange) and places of a great cultural flowering. There is dance, music, and scholarly investigation.

But at the same time, weapons have been made even more lethal. Armies are larger and the devastation of war is greater than ever. Small states are being devoured by the large. Or they engage in secret diplomacy and espionage to undermine their neighbors.

In the past, in the days of the sage kings, our ancestors did not have to endure such chaos. There was order. There was peace. There was prosperity. Where have we gone wrong?

At our next session, devotees of Confucianism, Mohism, Daoism, and Legalism will gather to reflect on the desperate situation that has emerged. They will engage in a debate over what should be done to overcome this crisis.

Focus Questions

Ideologies have to provide three essential elements:

1. A description of how we arrived at the present situation (a history?) – what’s the problem(s)?

2. A description (proscription) of what should be – how things ought to be.

3. A description of what should be done to move from 1 to 2 – an action plan.

Begin your debate preparation by thinking about how your school of thought addresses these needs.

In the debate, I’ll ask questions of each school and you may ask questions of each other. In general, accent the positive in your doctrine, but it may be occasionally helpful to draw contrasts with the way other schools deal with issues you consider critical.

We’ll definitely explore the following:

Education
Is education necessary? Define a "well-educated" person. What would such a person know and be able to do? Who should provide this training?

Loyalty
To which people/institutions should a person owe his/her loyalty? What is the nature and what are the limits (if any) of these obligations?

Society/Government
Describe the ideal society and government's role (if any) in that society. Be sure to address issues such as stratification, relations between people, and qualifications/responsibilities of leaders.

You may find the chart on pages 44-45 (or that neighborhood - in the red curriculum guide, again, to be distributed on Friday) useful as you prepare.

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed the reading assignment on Chinese philosophy. It was very interesting to read primary sources from these philosophies. I enjoyed reading about the Legalists being that I had never heard of this. I also thought the portion on the Daoist teachings was fascinating. Particularly the emphasis on the opposite forces of nature. The passages from the Laozi on page 28 were the most interesting (the passage beginning with "When everyone in the world sees beauty in the beautiful, Ugliness is already there.") Trying to teach my students about these opposites forces, I always try to tie them into their lives to make it easy for them to get. For example, when they tell me that they lost some type of football or baseball game I say, "If you didn't lose, you wouldn't know how sweet winning is." I always try to throw that out so when they do study the three philosophies of Asia, they are somewhat aware of this Daoist teaching. Very interesting stuff, especially reading it firsthand from the Laozi.

[Anonymous]

Following Dr. Le's presentation, I wonder if anyone else caught the fact that Avalokitesvara is a Bodhisattva thought of in East Asia to be a female! This (while presenting interesting connotations given the Confucian framework within society) indicates that the powers of the many faced, many, many, many, armed Avalokitesvara are often manifested into the female form in East Asia, particularly Tibet. Following the feministic perspectives expressed during our previous session, I thought that many of the distaff members of our group would celebrate this Bodhisattva.

Additionally, I wonder if the title of Tripitaka (Chinese: Sānzàng; Japanese: Sanzo) sparked the same curiosity in others that it did in me. In our readings of Buddhism, the division of Hinayana and Mahayana, as well as the influence of Nagarjuna are paramount to the development of Buddhism within East Asia. That a ruler assumed the title of a Sanskrit name for the "three baskets" (vinaya, sutra, and Abidharma) within the Pali canon is fascinating.

I wonder if there is a correlation to the desire for a return to the "original teachings of Buddha" that propelled the Mahayanist tradition in Asia?

Little things like this fascinate me. =:O

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,
Our Mohist crew did an admirable job in the debate a few weeks ago, but I know they were disheartened by the relative disappearance of the teaching from China. Don't fret, when Mo Zi Gong Lue (Master Mo's Attack Strategy -- I think they are calling it Mozi Raider in English) starring Hong Kong heart throb Andy Lau hits the screen next year, you'll be delighted to be so well versed in its teachings.

A link:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/25/content_2874228.htm

[Anonymous]

I just finished reading Wu Ch-eng-en's Monkey (translated by Arthur Waley): it is a 16th Century Chinese folktale recommended by Professor Ye. It is an interesting adventure tale--at first, the monkey is born out of stone; then he embarks on a journey to find immortality. He finds someone to teach him supernatural powers, but he uses them selfishly at first and is soon punished by the Jade Emperor who imprisons him for several years. But soon he is allowed to redeem himself by joining a journey--a journey to collect Buddhist scriptures from India and bring them to China. The monkey learns to use his powers for good, in particular, for the good of China, and is rewarded in the end for it. So, the story promotes filial piety (with the idea of country as family)--a Confucian idea, but Daoism is very present here too; Buddhism is the most desired philosophy in the story. It sounds as if the purpose of the journey is to replace Daoism with Buddhism; but in other places, it sounds as if the two (along with other schools of thought) can co-exist.
There are thirty chapters in this translation of the folktale; the original contains 100. Perhaps I could read one or more of the chapters to my students during our folktale unit in my World Humanities course: students read the folktales, and then determine the values of the culture in the stories are written. The unit explores how much stories reveal about culture.

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